A Swimmer’s Guide to Meet Day Success
“Control what you can control.” You’ve likely heard this phrase more times than you can count, and for good reason. Goggles breaking, suits tearing, thunderstorms postponing meets, and traffic delaying travel are all outside your control. While these things are almost inevitable at some point during your career, don’t let them steal your focus or throw you off your game.
Even though challenges might arise, the goals stay the same. Swim meets are an opportunity to showcase months of hard work, see progress, and learn more about your training plan. While not every meet will result in best times, they all serve a beneficial purpose. Staying consistent with your routine and habits is the best way to set yourself up for success, regardless of the external factors.
Here is a Swimmer’s Guide to help you flourish.
Stick to What Works
A golden rule: don’t change what’s been working in practice. If you have go-to snacks or meals before every practice, stick with them at meets. If your sleep schedule has kept you feeling strong all season, keep it as consistent as possible during a meet.
It’s tempting to eat especially healthily the night before a race, but introducing new foods or suddenly changing your diet can backfire. If your dinner typically consists of carbs and protein, adding a pile of vegetables the night before a race won’t give you a performance boost. It’s more likely to cause a stomach ache. Meet days are not the time for experimentation; they’re the time to recreate the conditions that have helped you during practice, and allow your hard work to pay off.
The same goes for pre-workout supplements. Just because a teammate swears by them doesn’t mean you’ll react to them in the same way. Try them a few times in practice to gauge how they affect your energy, digestion, and focus. For some swimmers, caffeine can be a helpful boost, increasing their focus and giving them an extra burst of energy. For others, it may cause jitters, anxiety, or disrupt sleep.
Plan for Food Challenges
At travel meets, food options can be unpredictable. If you’re picky or have a short list of foods that work well for you, pack a few protein-packed or other filling options you can rely on. For example, if you always eat a granola bar or a bagel before practice but the hotel breakfast only offers eggs, sausage, or bacon, having your own stash can keep you from making last-minute changes on race day. This doesn’t have to be overly complicated. Even small steps like packing a microwavable bowl and noodles can make a big difference in keeping your energy up.
Eliminate Decisions on Race Day
The less you have to think about on meet day, the better. This doesn’t just include planning food and hydration ahead of time, but also handling outside distractions early. Swim meets frequently cut into the school week, causing swimmers to miss multiple days of class. Few things are more stressful than trying to finish a homework assignment between sessions. This not only expends mental energy but takes time away from what matters most during a meet: resting, refueling, and refocusing. Planning to finish assignments ahead of time or asking your professors for extensions can easily eliminate this stressor and free up energy.
Ensuring you have the proper routine in place takes time, but it’s worth the effort. Taking care of things ahead of time will leave you feeling more prepared, focused, and confident come race day.